Thousands bid adieu to Ratan Tata as Mumbai witnesses emotional farewell

Mumbai: Commoners, celebrities, and notable figures came together on Thursday to bid an emotional farewell to Ratan Tata, the industrialist, philanthropist, and passionate animal lover. Tata, who elevated the Tata Group to new heights, also set lasting benchmarks in social work, leaving behind a legacy that touched countless lives.

Tata, the Chairman-Emeritus of Tata Sons and Chairman of Tata Trusts, passed away at the Breach Candy Hospital, aged 86,  on Wednesday night after being hospitalised for close to three days because of old-age related issues. 

A pall of gloom descended as the Mumbai Police sounded the Last Post and fore rifle-shots as a gun salute was accorded as a mark of respect to Tata during the last rites at the Worli Crematorium on Thursday evening.

In the morning, the body was taken from the Breach Candy Hospital to his bungalow in Colaba for a few hours.

From there Tata Trust’s youngest General Manager Shantanu Naidu, drove a Yezdi and led the hearse to the National Centre for Performing Arts in Nariman Point, where people in large numbers turned up for darshan and pay their last tributes. 

At NCPA, Tata’s adopted dog Goa too was seen near the casket. 

The Maharashtra government accorded a ‘state funeral’ for Tata and declared a day’s mourning besides the Cabinet recommending to the Centre a Bharat Ratna for the late business tycoon.

Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, Deputy Chief Ministers Devendra Fadnavis and Ajit Pawar and Industry Minister Uday Samant paid floral tributes to Tata. 

Family members, Tata’s brother Jimmy Tata, stepmother Simone Tata, his half-brother Noel Tata, along with top Tata Group executives like chairman N Chandrasekaran, were in attendance at the Worli crematorium besides several leading business personalities and politicians. 

Three central ministers - Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Union Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal and Minister of State for Social Justice Ramdas Athawale attended the funeral. 

Huge crowds were seen both at the NCPA and Worli Crematorium, where people from across the Mumbai metropolitan region had come to pay tributes to Tata. 

Generally, Parsis are laid to rest in Tower of Silence, however, in Tata’s case his mortal remains were consigned in an electric crematorium